How to Write 仆 (pū/pú) — Meaning “Servant; to fall forward”

Imagine a person (亻) bowing so deeply that their body forms a "卜" shape — a vertical line with a small head. This visual reminds you that a servant (仆人) bows low, or that they fall forward (仆倒) into a similar position.

Write the left radical 亻 first (a slanted stroke down, then a small horizontal), then the right part 卜: a vertical stroke followed by a small dot on the upper right. A common mistake is making the dot too large or placing it in the middle — it should be clearly above the vertical line.

仆 has 卜 on the right (a vertical line with a dot), while 亿 has 乙 (a curved hook stroke) and 什 has 十 (a simple cross). These visual differences change the meanings completely: 仆 means "servant" or "to fall", 亿 means "hundred million", and 什 means "ten" or "what".

You will find 仆 mostly in formal compound words such as 仆人 (servant) and 公仆 (public servant, like government officials). The meaning "to fall forward" appears in literary or historical texts, but it is rarely used in everyday conversation and is not part of the HSK vocabulary.

Common words containing 仆 include: 仆人 (pú rén) — Servant; 公仆 (gōng pú) — Public servant; 仆倒 (pū dào) — To fall down prostrate.